Burial vault



Oct. 20, 1953 J. A. RENCH 2,655,714

BURIAL VAULT Filed April 25. 1950 rzvvs/vran JOHN A RE N C l/ ATTORNE'YJPatented Oct. 20, 1953 5' Chime;

- The present lnvention relates to l more particularly tothose made: of'metaliior specially treated concrete;; and for: containing a m etal orwood casketi I'he vaulti and' its contained casket mav"-be positionedeither above or below ground. h

It-has been found-=--'-that notwithstanding all attempts to maintain theinterior "of the vault free. fromgas 1 or moisture-producing material,"

the*air or gas remaining i'n'th'e vault and/or casket may cause thegeneration of moisture and the-'-encourageinent :'otfungus growth. Theseeffects -bring' about' corrosion of metal; rotting-of the wood; andweakening of the conerete partsl l Y J T-h primarv object of theinvention provide' a -buri'al vault in -whlch the'rate of 'deteriorationof the casket, whether made 'ofmetal or wood; is substantially sloweddown -over' a l'o' ngp'eriodof time; i Another-"object is to provideaburial vault in which T the casket and coiitained-bodyare preserved"for an indefinite period-of timela;

'Still another object is to' provide'a burial vault inwh'ich'the growth'of 'fun gfand' other thallo-f phytic plants is discouraged and theinterior of the vault remains free from deteriorating or as-producingrnaterial. I I; -'I'liefin'al object is to provide a'coinposii'estructure including an outer protective'housii igi single ormulti-walled; and a casket; in "which the structure and contentswithstand the ravages of time, acid effects of the'g round; and/or theoxidizing effects of the atmosphere" '-'The above objects are attainedbr ifby providing a hermetically-sealed"vault and removing all gases andmoisture'threfrom after the-casket has been laid ther'ein/ As a; m'odification; I may provide adouble orinulti-walled vault" and evacuate theinter-wall space or evacuate, at the graveside; the: space 'immed'iiatelysurrou'nding the casket; 'I'his hi'ghly evac uated space or spacesare then'ready to receive whatever gas or moisture -*that is emittedfrom the casket over a periodbf' tiinefandthenet gas contentissufiiciently low a's-to prevent cor'-" rosion and discouragethe"growth of plant lite. Other objects and features will -be' apparntas'th'e following specification is perused in-c'onnection with theaccompanying drawings; in which:

li'igure 1 is a perspective view'of' a-- singlewalled vault embodyingthe principles or the ven N tional: view ;of- :the; double-walled; vaultshown entering theinterior or t sertedinto asingleewalled vault; and 1 rstain n -1151i (01. 27-35) ,Flgure -,2- is a;perspective showing ithesiapplication of the, invention; to 'double'or multi-walled typeofvaultj LFigure represents a fragmentary CIQSS 7 n viewl a i kitt hFigure .2 and;.depicting more indetail the ev ua'tingrapparatuswithinthevault; 1 Figure 4' depicts yae-yiew ler ig; l; 3

but at the other sideiqr the vaultand employg ing; a different-typofevacuatin ucondu wall space ,Flgure. 6,- exemplifiesathe; use 1- a;valv Figurefl is: aqtragm n ary sectional view of; thee wer-portionotthevault show ns e ma ner; in zwhichrthehmetal parts canj be sealedtogether after receiving the casket. V Referring to' Fig.;1,,-Vreterencecharacter 1 gen-- erally designates a metal vault formed of two, sides 2and two ends 3 with a top portion 4 of any desired form, but exemplifiedas beingroof-shaped with a ridge 5 in order to shed water in casethe'vault is exposed-t0 rains-The housing or vault l= is adapted to befitted over a metal plate 6 which may be provided with upstandingflangesor locating the interior-"sur- 40. spaces before receiving thecasket; and then desired, ofthin-walled concrete, reinforced andsuitablytreated onthe inside and outside-with tar or otherwater-impermeable substances.-

When the vault is 'made out of metal and before the porcelainis-applied; the'housingds conveniently pressed=-out of sheet metal by adeepdrawing press :inorder to eliminate-any joints at the ends.However,- it is to beunderstood; particularly whenthe casket is to -beinserted into theend of the vault, one orv both end walls 3'may beformedseparately fromthe side walls -2 and the root; these end walls being-.1pro+ videdwith flanged edges which fitsnuglylwith in the mainportion ofthevaultand can'be eitherwelded or silversoldered at'the flanges inorder to form an integral structure. The handles "i are detachablyaffixed to the vault in any suitable and well known manner, and mainlyused for ornamentation purposes.

When interring a casket the usual practice is to leave the vault aboveground and the upper portion thereof removed from the plate 6 forreceiving the casket. At the appropriate time the main portion of thevault is placed on the plate 6, using the handles 1 for liftingpurposes, and the metal vault is then affixed as by screws (not shown inFig. 1) to the plate 6. Thereafter, and in accordance with one featureof my invention, silver-solder is poured in the space between the wallsand the outer flange of the plate 6 and if desired a layer of tarapplied in order to provide a perfect hermetic seal at the joint betweenthe lower edge of the walls, 2,

3 and the plate 6.

It has been found that when the ordinary vaults made of metal areemployed for encasing a casket, great deal of moisture collects withinthe vault over a period of time and this moisture promotes the growth offungi and similar plants, also tending to cause deterioration of themetal of the vault and the joints between the vault housing and thebottom plate.

In accordance with another feature of my invention, I provide a highlyevacuated space between the casket and the vault walls and if the casketitself is not hermetically sealed, this vacuum extends into the casket.For this purpose an opening 8 is provided in the top of the vault (Fig.6) and this opening receives a metal plug 9, the latter being welded atthe edge H1 in order to assure a hermetic joint. The plug 9 is pro videdwith a pair of countersunk holes ll, 12 and the latter communicates withthe interior of the vault through a small opening l3. The hole or recessII is provided with threads in order to receive a screw plug [4 and thelower hole I2 is provided with a plug of rubber l5 which has a centralopening in line with the aperture I3.

The upper end of the plug I5 is given a conical reentrant shape asindicated at [6 for receiving a metal ball H of hardened steel whichnormally fits over the central opening in the plug and preventscommunication to or from the interior of the vault.

After the casket has been placed on the plate 6 and the top portion ofthe vault I has been placed over the casket and sealed to the plate inthe manner explained hereinbefore, or in any other suitable manner, thescrew plug H is removed and the end nipple of a suction pipe l3(illustrated in Fig. 2 in connection with the modified form of vault) isscrewed to the threads vacated by the plug.

The pipe or line [3 passes to the suction side of a vacuum pum IQ, ofany suitable and well known type, which is operated by an electric motor20. A combined pressure-suction gauge 2| may be contained in the line[8. Thus as the pump continues to operate, a relatively high vacuum isproduced within the vault and if there are any openings present in thecasket the air is also evacuated from the casket interior. But the mainobject of the invention is to evacuate the space surrounding the casketsince this space is usually of much greater content than that containedin the casket and for that reason can offer far more deterioratingeffects than the air or gas within the casket. The vacuum should becarried as high as possible when using commercially available highvacuum pumps and the operation of the latter and the vacuum conditionswithin the vault can be read from the gauge 2|.

When all of the remnant air, gas and moisture have been removed from thevault interior, the pipe I8 is disconnected and it will be found thatthe ball II will drop down into the conical hole to shut off all furthercommunication with the vault interior. In other words, the ball I!serves as a check valve and, due to the rubber seat 15, forms a perfecthermetic seal. The plug I4 can then be re-inserted and after the handles1 have been removed, the vault is ready to be placed either in theground or in a mausoleum.

In case the vault is made of concrete, the interior and exteriorsurfaces should be tarred or otherwise rendered impermeable to air andmoisture and a suitable provision can be made for inserting the metalplug 9 for effecting the evacuation of the vault interior.

It has been found that when the interior of the vault, as described, issufficiently highly evacuated, any gases or moisture given off at thecasket are so highly diffused throughout the vault interior that littleor no deteriorating effect is noticeable, since the high vacuum providesa protective media and many of the causes for deterioration of thecasket and vault from within have been eliminated. Besides, the absenceof the normal air content serves to a certain degree to thermallyinsulate the casket and contents which additionally reduces the ravagesof a soil which may be temporarily above normal temperature. The processof evacuating the vault interior is not expensive since, obviously, thevacuum pump can be carried on a truck and moved from one graveside toanother with maximum facility and lack of attention after theconnections have been made.

My invention is not limited to a single-walled vault but can be readilyapplied to a double or other multi-walled unit as shown in Figs. 2, 3,4, 5 and '7. In Fig. 5 there are two metal plugs 22, 23 employed, theseplugs being made similar to the plug 9 shown and described in connectionwith Fig. 6, except that one plug 22 terminates in the space between thewalls 24, 25 of the vault, and the other plug 23 terminates at theinterior of the vault indicated by the opening 26. When the screw plugs21, 28 have been removed from the respective evacuating plugs 22, 23,twin suction pipes (not shown) may be taken to the vacuum pump l9 or, ifdesired, the interior of the wall 25 can be first evacuated and thenlater the space between the walls, by removing and reinserting theproper screw plugs 28, 21. A single conduit l3 may also be employed witha twin or forked suction nipple structure, in which case a single gauge2| can determine the vacuum conditions throughout the interior of thevault.

The walls of the double-walled vault can be separated the requisitedistance apart by means of longitudinal angle irons 29 (Fig. 3) and theplate on which the double-walled vault is mounted may also comprise atwo-walled structure indicated at 30, separated from one another by theangle irons 3|. Openings 32 may be provided in the upper wall of theplate 30 in order to evacuate the air between the two walls of thedouble bottom plate.

Instead of evacuating the space immediately surrounding the casket bymeans of the plug 23 (Fig. 5) which withdraws the air from the top ofthe vault, it may be desirable to evacuate from the bottom of the vault,particularly in case the plate 30 is formed with a double shell. Thiscan plate.

be accomplished by providing a plug 33 which extends through the doublewall of the vault at the top and is provided with the screw plug 34 asin the case of the plug shown in Fig. 6. But the opening 35 at thebottom of the plug communicates through a copper conduit 36 with a valve31 secured to the side of the inner wall of the vault at the bottom.This valve comprises a housing containing the rubber sealing plug 38 andthe ball 39. An opening 40 passes through the rubber plug and throughthe bottom of the valve to communicate with the interior of the vault.Thus when the screw plug 34 is removed and a pump connected thereto, theinterior of the vault, as well as the interior of the doublewalledbottom plate, is evacuated.

It will be understood that if desired a plug 22 (Fig. 5) may be employedto evacuate the interwall space, as was explained in connection withthat figure, although in general, the manufacturer of the double-walledvault would normally evacuate the inter-wall space at the factory andmight also evacuate the space between the two walls of the bottom member38. In case the inter-wall space is evacuated before the vault isdelivered, a plate H is welded to the lower edges of the vault in orderto seal the inter-wall space, and this plate can then serve as asecuring means to the bottom plate 35 by the use of screws 42 (Fig. 4),or if desired, solely by depositing silversolder 43 in the space betweenthe outer wall of the vault and the flange 45 formed on the bottom Itwill be understood that when screws 42 are employed, there may beadditionally supplied a covering of silver-solder or a tar coating inorder to assure a perfectly tight hermetic joint.

The remote position of the valve 31 from the plug 33 offers someadvantages over the use of the plug 23 (Fig. 5) at the top, of the vaultin that the suction effects of the vacuum pump I9 are carried in a moreconcentrated form through the conduit 35 to a position near the bottomplate and for that reason is more apt to pick up any moisture collectedon the bottom. In order still further to assure the complete disposal ofcondensed moisture on the bottom plate, conduits 45 may be taken fromthe opening Ml and terminating at various points throughout the bottomof the vault in order more effectively to pick up moisture as well as toevacuate the lower strata of air. These conduits also serve theadditional purpose of strengthening the bottom plate in the longitudinaltransverse directions, dependin upon their arrangement, since they canbe secured in any suitable manner, as by welding, to the bottom member.

In Fig, 4 there is shown still another optional manner in which theevacuating conduit can be taken out of the vault interior. In this casea vertical pipe extends along one end of the vault and is provided atits upper end with screw threads for receiving a plug Al. The lower endis closed except for an aperture is and this end contains an aperturedrubber plug 49 and a steel ball 56. Inasmuch as the pipe M5 runs alongone end of the vault, it is out of the way of the casket and obviously,in case the vault is intended for end insertion of the casket, the pipeis positioned at that end which would not normally be disturbed. It willbe. understood that as in the case of Fig. 3, a plug 22 may be employedto evacuate the inter-wall space, as was explained in connection withFig. 5, although if desired, the manufacturer of the vault will alreadyhave evacuated this space before the vault is delivered.

' From the foregoing it is evident that I have disclosed a highlyevacuated, hermetically sealed vault having one or more walls in whichthe vacuum extends to the space immediately surrounding the casket, aswell as to the inter-wall space. The evacuation process can be performedat the graveside and the high vacuum serves to protect not only theinterior of the vault from corrosion, growth fthallophytic plants andother deteriorating effects, but also helps in preserving the casketwhich may be constituted of wood or metal.

If desired, the vacuum treatment can be given the vault at predeterminedtimes after interment to assure a highly evacuated condition of theinterior of the vault, as it would only be necessary to expose the plugs21, 28 for this purpose.

The invention is not limited to vaults made of metal but can be appliedto vaults made of any other material such as plastic, wood or concrete.provided such material is impermeable to gas and moisture or can be madeimpermeable by suitable coatings and treatments.

It will be understood that various modifications and arrangements instructure could be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention and, accordingly, I desire to comprehend such modificationsand substitutions of equivalents as may be considered to come within thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A burial vault having an evacuating apertured plu in the upperportion of a wall thereof, and a check valve structure secured to thebottom portion of the wall within the vault to evacuate air and moisturefrom the surface of said bottom wall portion, and a conduit extendingbetween said plug and said structure, and a plurality of evacuatingpipes extending along the bottom of the vault and communicating withsaid valve structure.

2. A burial vault comprising a container for a casket, said containerhaving walls spaced apart and sealed to a bottom plate member, hollowreinforcing ribs extending along said plate member, the interior of saidribs communicating at various points over the bottom plate member withthe interior of said container, an evacuating apertured plug in theupper portion of the container, and an evacuating conduit extendingbetween said plug and the interior of said ribs.

3. A burial vault comprising a container for a casket, said containerhaving walls spaced apart and sealed to a bottom plate member, hollowreinforcin ribs extending along the plate member, openings through saidribs to place the interior thereof in communication with the interior ofthe container, and means for evacuating the interiors of the containerand the ribs.

4. A burial vault for a casket, said vault comprising an invertedU-shaped portion and a bottom plate member, said U-shaped portion havingwalls spaced apart, and a closure member extending between and sealed tothe walls at each side of said portion to hermetically enclose the spacebetween the walls of said portion, and means for evacuating the spacebetween said walls, said bottom plate member being secured to saidU-shaped portion at the position of the closure members.

5. A burial vault for a casket, said vault comprising an invertedU-shaped portion and a bottom plate member, said U-shaped portion having71 walls spaced apart, and a closure member extendin between and sealedto the walls at each side of said portion to hermetically enclose thespace between the walls of said portion, said bottom plate being securedto said U-shaped portion at the position of said closure members, saidbottom plate having walls spaced apart to leave a chamber within thewalls of said plate, said chamber being in communication with theinterior of the vault as determined by the space contained within theinner wall of the vault, and means for evacuating the inter wall spaceof the U-shaped portion, and means for evacuating the space defined bythe inner wall of said portion and the interior of said bottom plate.

JOHN A. RENCH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date Nietscke Sept. 24, 1867 Peckham Nov. 4, 1902 Gillespie Feb.'7, 1905 Bending Jan. 9, 1906 Campbell Apr. 27, 1915 Dunn Oct. 10, 1922Qtsuki July 31, 1923 Torrence Aug. 26, 1924 Pinkerton July 12, 1927Smith Apr. 13, 1937

